Broken
by davis-baker
Summary: Julian sees Brooke look at him in a way he's never seen her look at him before. From now on, in Brooke's eyes, he is a failure. He has messed up. BRULIAN. Based on the ending of episode 9x03. Contains spoilers for the episode so read with caution!


**A/N – So it's a good thing I read spoilers otherwise I probably would have completely died during the last few minutes of tonight's epi! I'm not exactly sure what we will see next week, so I decided to write this little one shot to go a bit further into what happened. Spoilerish if you haven't seen 9x03 - so beware!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><span>Broken<span>

Julian is _tired_.

He knows nobody told him raising two babies would be easy, but boy do the twins give he and Brooke a run for their money.

And it's not just the sleepless nights.

It's also been the stress of wanting to run a successful soundstage. He's had _too many_ phone calls this week end in hang-ups and dial tones. More than he's had in his _whole_ career of being a producer.

He doesn't like feeling like a _failure_.

He had spent a majority of his life being treated like one by his father and he thought he had _passed_ that.

Brooke has always been the one believing in him though. Telling him that it's all "_just starting out_." So when he finally gets that great call from the company in Los Angeles, he's _so_ very _glad_ he listened to his wife's comforting words.

Brooke's new idea for a clothing line has got some investors, and he's got some possible takers for his vacant soundstage.

Suddenly, things are _falling into place_ and the exhaustion he's been feeling for the past few weeks dissipates. For the _first_ time in a while, he's starting to feel _accomplished_ again. Like he can finally provide for the family he and Brooke tried so very hard to have.

The production company is flying directly in from Atlanta, which means that cuts his time back majorly. And if he wasn't freaking out _before_, well know he is just about to have a _heart attack_. Because it's a _big deal_. He wants all of this to work out. He wants to make Brooke and his family _proud_.

He hurriedly picks up a nice bottle of scotch, wanting to make a good impression, before heading back down the block. He's rehearsing lines in his head, going over them repeatedly to commit them to his memory hoping this will ease some of his nerves if even in the slightest. He's thinking of things to say that will best sell his soundstage, and midsentence his phone begins to ring. Nervously, thinking maybe it's the company calling to cancel, he is able to sign in relief, seeing it is Brooke instead.

"Hey, baby." Julian greets easily, turning to his right upon hearing a noisy cop car drive past him. He doesn't think twice about it.

"Hey…Is everything okay?" And he doesn't know why there's such _concern_ in his wife's voice.

"Yeah, _why_?"

"Well the daycare called and said you never dropped Davis off…"

_Daycare_.

_Davis_.

_Oh shit_.

As all that clicks, he feels his mind leave his body and all he can comprehend are his legs running the fastest they can run, down the block, across the street, right to where the noisy sirens are coming from.

Right to _his car_.

This _can't_ be good.

There's a crowd gathered around the scene. Gasping, jaws dropped.

Ironically, he notes it's like a scene right out of a movie.

The car's front window is bashed in; the car seat is empty.

There's an ambulance and a tiny little, hopeless baby being wheeled in on a stretcher.

But it's _not_ a movie.

There's no _script_. No _actors_.

And that's _his_ little, hopeless baby.

How…_How_ did this happen?

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><p>Brooke holds Jude closer in her arms once Julian doesn't respond. All she can hear from the other end are lots of people and lots of sirens. And that's <em>enough <em>to worry her _senseless_.

Her mind is jumbled with suspicions and fears and she doesn't even know what to _think_. Julian had _just_ told her that _nothing_ was wrong. But if that was there case, where is Davis? And what just happened to Julian?

"Julian…_Julian_?" She hears a glass bottle drop to the floor and shatter to pieces.

Jude gets restless in her arms, and it very well might be the cold he seems to have caught, or maybe, Brooke thinks, that he senses something is wrong just like her. Like he can feel her apprehension. Or maybe he can feel that his daddy and brother are in trouble.

Brooke just hugs her son tighter.

"Julian Baker! What is going on?"

"_Br-Brooke_?" His voice and hesitancy confirm her doubts. Something is _terribly_ wrong.

"_What_?" She nearly shouts. "What is it?"

"_I'm sorry_…I'm _so_, _so_ sorry." He's practically crying on the other end. She can tell by the way his voice is low, how each of his words crack.

"Julian-" she begins, but he cuts her off quickly.

"-Meet me at the _hospital_." Her _worst_ nightmare since becoming a mother is then confirmed.

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><p>He's pacing the waiting room manically. Waiting for a doctor to just come out and let him know that Davis is <em>okay<em>. Not even a half hour before he had walked up to the scene, the whole crowd staring appalled at him. The cops had eyed him like he was some sort of _criminal_. He certainly feels that way. Over some stupid soundstage and some stupid bottle of scotch.

"Julian!"

Brooke's rasp pulls his eyes off the linoleum titled floors. He figures she's already angry for not telling her what on earth is going on and for making her drag sick Jude out of the house.

He runs over to meet her and places his hands on her shoulders.

"What happened?" She feels as though it's the millionth time she's asked this question. Maybe this time she'll get an answer.

Julian's eyes well up with tears. He doesn't want to disappoint her. He opens his mouth, but no words are vocalized.

"Julian…," she says cautiously. "Is Davis okay?"

"I don't know how this happened…I just…I got a call…and then I went to the store…and I just…I just _forgot_…and I…" He blinks back his tears but it's no use. He's already got a few streaming down his cheeks.

Brooke stands silent. He hasn't said much but she _knows_.

"You…You forgot Davis? …You _left_ him _alone_ in the _car_?" Suddenly, her voice turns to venom. Her eyes turn icy. He sees her look at him in a way he's _never_ seen her look at him before. From now on, in Brooke's eyes, he _is_ a failure. _He_ _has_ _screwed up_.

He wants to be her superman. Her knight-in-shining-armor. He's always been her rock.

_Not anymore_.

"_Brooke_…" But it's no use. He knows this now. "_I don't know_…"

He can't even formulate his thoughts and she turns around on her heel, "where is the doctor?" She can't even look at him anymore. At least not until she sees Davis; not until she sees that he's okay.

"Mr. and Mrs. Baker?" Moments later, a doctor appears. The policeman behind him doesn't go unnoticed by the couple.

Brooke stands up with a sleeping Jude in her arms. Julian had offered to hold him. Brooke's obvious, _hurtful _answer had been '_no_.'

"Is my son okay?"

"My" not "_ours_," Julian takes note of. But maybe he's being paranoid.

The young doctor gives a gentle nod. "Davis is okay. We couldn't find anything out of the norm. We might just want to keep him for a few hours for observation. You're free to go and see him."

Brooke lets out a huge sigh. "Thank god," she mumbles.

"Mr. Baker," the cop speaks. "I just have to ask you a few questions…"

Julian stiffens and looks towards his wife for comfort, but she's still holding her cold demeanor. She quickly glances towards him.

"I'll see you at home," she utters, before walking with the doctor down the hallway to see Davis. "Come on," Julian can hear her whisper to Jude. "Lets go see your brother."

"Mr. Baker?" The cop speaks once more.

His attention snaps back to reality. To the waiting room. To the cop. "Right. I'm ready."

The policeman suggests they move into a private area, and for a second as they walk, they are trailing behind Brooke and the doctor. But then they turn the corner, and Brooke is gone.

He doesn't know how she'll forgive him. Since the twins were born she's looked at him as the _perfect_ father. _So_ unlike his and her own had been. Like he would never make a mistake. Sometimes she'll just sit and watch him interact with them, mesmerized. He _adores_ those little miracle boys.

He knows with what has just happened, _everything _will change. She won't _ever_ look at him like that again. He won't _ever_feel like a good enough father.

And instead of feeling like a hero, he's back to feeling like a failure. He's not sure that, that feeling will ever go away.

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><p><strong>Please Review! :)<strong>

**Feel free to drop your thoughts on what you think of this storyline from the episode!**

**-Melissa**


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